Control device



March 22, 1955 c. WAY

CONTROL DEVICE Filed May 19, 1952 1E0 C. WA)

INVENTOR.

BY X M ATTOR/Vf) United States Patent CONTROL DEVICE Leo C. Way,Houston, Tex.

Application May 19, 1952, Serial No. 288,623

2 Claims. ((21. 74-528) This invention relates to a control device ordial, and is of particular utility for regulating the angular positionof a damper in an air duct, and includes means for indicating to theuser at all times the position of the damper.

An especial advantage of the invention is that it may be easily operatedto effect a desired adjustment without the use of tools.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved control devicewhich may be easily adjusted to positively fix an element in any desiredposition.

Still another object is to provide a control device that may be easilyapplied to a flat surface and will present a neat and attractiveappearance.

A further object is to provide a control device which is so constructedthat it lends itself to production from a plastic material therebyenabling construction at minimum cost and of any desired color, or colorpattern, to harmonize with the color of the surface upon which thedevice is mounted.

A still further object is to provide a device of the type describedcomprising an annular base which houses an adjusting dial with anexternal adjusting knob, detent means being provided to form a manuallyreleasable interlock between the base and dial.

A still further object is to provide a control device comprising a basein which an adjusting dial is mounted for rotational and axial movement,there being a releasable detent to interlock the base and dial andresilient means for normally holding the detent in locked position.

These objects and additional objects and advantages of the inventionwill be more fully apparent from a consideration of the followingdescription and claims, together with the drawings to which reference ismade in the description.

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the invention installedand used for adjusting the position of a damper element;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the device taken on line 22 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the manner of using the device foradjusting the setting of a push-pull cable control.

The embodiment of my invention shown in the drawings comprises anannular base 1 which may be secured to any flat surface, such as a wallor ceiling, 2 as by means of screws 3. An opening 4 in the member 2admits the non-circular end 5 of a shaft 6 to the interior of the devicewhere such non-circular end slidably fits within a complementary opening7 in the operating member or dial 8.

The base 1 has a radially inwardly extending flange 9 spaced from themounting surface 10 of the base, thus providing within the base achamber for the dial and an opening 12 through which the knob 13 of thedial extends. The dial has a shoulder 14 which fits closely within theopening 12 in the base. Inwardly from the shoulder 14 the dial has adisc portion 15 which is of an axial dimension less than the depth ofthe chamber within the base so that there is normally an axial space 16between the dial and the surface upon which the device is mounted.

A detent is provided between the base 1 and the dial 8. To provide suchdetent the disc portion 15 of the dial has one or more axially extendingprojections 17 which are adapted to selectively enter complementaryopenings 18 in the nether surface of the flange 9. It is apparent thatthe dial is non-rotatable relative to the base when the projection, orprojections, 17 are engaged in one or more of the openings 18 in thebase and hence the shaft 6 is held in a predetermined angular positionwhen this condition exists.

The shaft 6 is fixed against axial movement in any suitable manner. Ifthe shaft comprises an element of a damper 20 then the entire damperassembly will be fixed against axial movement within the duct servedthereby. Alternately, the end 5 of the shaft 6 may be larger than theadjacent portion of the shaft thereby providing a shoulder 21 to engagethe thrust plate 22 secured to the member 2.

A compression spring 23 fits within an extension of the opening 7 in thedial 8 and abuts the end 5 of the shaft 6 whereby the dial is constantlyurged outwardly so that the detent holds the base and dial againstrelative rotation, the projections 17 on the dial being held withincomplementary openings 18 in the rear face of the flange 9 on thebase 1. It is to be understood that any suitable number of projections17 will be used, the number being sufiicient to withstand any torque towhich the dial 8 will be subjected. Also, the openings 18 will be ofsuch number, and spacing as to enable desired angular settings of theshaft 6 about its axis.

Suitable indicia may be provided on the base 1 and the dial 8 toindicate the setting of the device. For example an arrow 25 may beprovided on the surface 26 of the dial 8 proximate graduations 27 on theflange 9 about the opening 12 in the base. By means of this constructionan accurate indication is had of the setting of the device and of theadjacent positions available for an adjusted setting.

The knob 13 of the dial 8 is also provided with a slot 11 which can beengaged by a screwdriver like tool to effect desired adjustment of thecontrol dial when the device cannot readily be reached by the hand.

When in operation the parts of the device will be in the relativepositions shown in the drawings. If a different adjustment is desired,knob 13 of the dial 8 is grasped by the hand or a screwdriver type oftool and the entire dial is forced axially against the force exerted bythe spring 23. The projections 17 are thus withdrawn from within theirrespective complementary openings 18 whereupon the dial may be rotatedto such new angular setting as may be desired. When the dial is releasedthe spring 15 will move the dial outwardly so that the projections 16will enter the adjacent openings 18 in the base whereupon the dial islocked in the newly selected position.

When the device of the invention is used for controlling the position ofa damper 20 in an air duct as shown, the damper may comprise a pair ofblades 28 flanged at 29 to fit about the shaft 6 so that bolts 30, whentightened,

will hold the blades and shaft as a unitary structure.

While the control device of the invention is shown as used for adjustingthe position of a damper in a flue, it is to be understood that it maybe used in other environments. For example as best seen in Fig. 4 thewire of a flexible cable control may be secured, as by means of afastener 32, to the shaft 6 so that rotational adjustment of the shaftwill effect movement of the wire 31 and hence adjustment of themechanism to which the wire is attached.

The invention claimed is:

1. A control device of the class described comprising, an annular basemember adapted to be mounted on a surface and having an inwardlyextending flange portion spaced from the mounting surface on the basemember, thereby forming a chamber and a central opening in the basemember, an operating member within said chamber, said operating memberfitting axially slidable and rotatively within said chamber and being ofless axial thickness than the depth of the chamber, said operatingmember having a knob portion extending through said central opening,there being a noncircular axial opening in said operating member toslidably but nonrotatively receive a shaft to be angularly adjusted, acompression spring bottomed in the opening in the operating member andengageable with the end of the shaft to be adjusted so that theoperating member is urged axially outward in the member to selectedangular positions thereof relative to the base member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS SiedleMay 16, 1944 Schramm Mar. 21, 1950 Schostak July 24, 1951

